Piaf

We took a day off on Friday and decided to go for a nice lunch and movie at Southbank.  After reading many positive reviews about Piaf, we decided to give it a try.

The setting is quant, nicely set tables and comfortable chairs with a back drop of jazz music to soothe the soul.

The Menu is simplicity itself as there are only half-a-dozen choices for each course. The price is quite reasonable too.

For entrees, we ordered Tiger Prawns with Confit Leeks and Pernod Beurre Blanc ($14) and Smoked Ocean Trout with Apple Radish Remoulade and Crisp Rye Bread ($14).

The prawns were well cooked and the beure blanc brought a light buttery taste to the dish without being overpowering.

The smoked ocean trout was a little strong by itself but mixed with the other elements on the plate was quite pleasant.

For mains, I had the Atlantic Salmon with Fennel and Sauce Vierge ($24) and D had the Pork Loin with Gremolata, Fondant Potato and Mustard Sauce ($24).

The salmon had a flavoursome, crispy skin and was served with a zesty tomato that didn't quite match with the salmon but shone by itself.

The pork loin was wonderfully caramelised with a delicious sauce that complemented the dish well.

We couldn't quite fit dessert in but promised each other to come hungry on our next visit to Piaf!



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Forget Me Not Tea Room

Today I got to indulge myself with high tea with an old friend. While looking online for a place that I hadn’t been to before, I found Forget Me Not Tea Room at Graceville. It is located in Honour Avenue, next to Regal Cinema, and just across the road from the railroad.

It is quaint little tea room that also sells unique home ware gifts and flowers. The range of quirky looking teapots caught my eye and I’ve made a mental note to return to this shop when I am ready to get a new teapot.

A pot of tea or a cup of coffee was included in the $35 price.  There was also a non-caffeine option of hot chocolate or milkshake.

When the waitress brought the food displayed on the two-tier stand to our table, we were questioning in our minds the number of serves represented on the tier. It did not seem like a lot of food and some of the sweets only came in one serving instead of two.

Our slight disappointment was replaced by enjoyment when we started eating. The savoury muffin was soft with a crunchy top. It was well complemented by the chutney. The pastry on the savoury cups was short and I really enjoyed it. The sandwich just plain compared to the other savouries, but we were not complaining.

Moving on to the scones, the light texture went very well with cream and jam.

As for sweets, the tartlets were my favourites. I loved the short and crumbly pastry on the all the tartlets. The coffee mousse chocolate cup was impressive too, with an interesting coffee flavour minus the bitter taste. Both chocolate cupcake and carrot cupcake were rich and moist.

Overall, everything was delicious and fresh. I enjoyed it so much that I can still picture the food now while writing this blog.





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Toby's Estate

Last week, I received my first ever parking infringement ticket. I was not only shocked by the hefty fine, but having parked in an area with no signage - getting a ticket was a bit hard to swallow! :(

Since then, I have decided to carpool with D instead of stressing and fighting for a park. This gives us the opportunity to have breakfast (or coffee) in the city before going to work.

Toby's Estate was recommended to us by the city folks as one of the better cafes.

I ordered my usual small skinny mocha, but soon found myself being seduced by the shelf of tempting pastries.   I ended up getting a chocolate croissant which complimented my drink perfectly.

Whilst it may not stand as a balanced diet, it certainly gave me the necessary caffeine and sugar kick to start my day!


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Gusto Da Gianni

Gusto Da Gianni is a modern waterfront restaurant with a taste of Italy. With a relaxed atmosphere, cool breeze, an extensive Italian menu and staff that speak with an Italian accent: this is as close to Italy as you can get.

It brings back all the happy memories I had last year on my trip to Italy. Coincidentally, I was meeting up with a friend and showing her the photo book from my trip to Italy. Our excitement and appetite grew as we went through the pictures of Italian sights and food.

We ordered Bruschetta Di Pomodorini ($12.50) to start our meal. It is a classic entree with three pieces of crusty Italian bread with fresh tomato, basil and olive oil.

Being a seafood lover, I ordered the Linguinie Allo Scoglio ($27) for mains. It was a generous plate of linguini with a seafood mix of clams, mussels, scallops, calamari and prawns on a light garlic, chilli, cherry tomatoes, parsley and olive oil sauce. The linguini was cooked al dente but I think the sauce could have done with a bit more seasoning or chilli.

My friend ordered the Cannelloni Di Pollo ($25). It was a bowl of homemade cannelloni stuffed with poached chicken ragout with Napoli and Bechamel Sauce. It looked rustic and delicious.

For desserts, we shared Chocolate Almond Tart with Hazelnut Icecream ($15?) and Churros Con Chocolate ($15?).

I found the chocolate tart a bit too rich and hard to cut through. However, I really enjoyed the hazelnut icecream.

As for the churros, it was very crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. The chocolate dipping sauce was great.

You know you are having a good time when you lose track of time. I am used to having a quick dinner, so sitting in a restaurant for 2.5 hours without realising the time tells a lot in how much I enjoyed being there.



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Casamia Paris

Casamia Paris is the perfect go-to dessert place for Southsiders for those who prefer a more ‘westernised’ dessert. There are plenty of places that sell Asian desserts such as soy custard, blended ice and bubble tea. As for French-style dessert, I think this is the only cafe this side of town.

It is a small cafe with simple furnishings. On our first visit, the crowd was very loud and noisy, so we took away some desserts and enjoyed it at home. The shop was basically empty during our most recent visit, so we decided to sit down and slowly savour the desserts.

I ordered the Strawberry Delight ($7) and D tried their new Coffee Pudding ($7). My Strawberry Delight was very light and fresh. As for D’s Coffee Pudding, I think it needed a bit more coffee kick.

All their desserts looked beautiful and tasted great. This will definitely be the place we go to satisfy our dessert cravings.



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Carolina Kitchen

With a shortage of good American grub, Carolina Kitchen fills a gap in the Brisbane food scene for Soul Food. It is not a fancy restaurant where you would go for a date night, but rather, a family-style eatery where you would go for a feast or take-away.

The type of food served is best enjoyed eating with your hands. If you are worried about looking messy, or smelling like smoked-BBQ, take-away might be a better option.

I chose this place for a night-out with my girlfriends. As I was running late, I asked the girls to go ahead and order first. When I arrived, I saw the generous serving of food at our table. Aside from the food, the thing that caught my eye was the can of A&W Root Beer on our table. I have been craving for Root Beer for a long time! Excitedly, I headed straight to the drinks fridge and got myself a can for $3.50.

We had the Carolina Pack ($40) which consists of 3 Ribs, 12 Buffalo Wings and New York Fries and a Corn Bread ($3.95). My favourite was the New York Fries – crispy fries with cheese, sour cream and salsa. I find the Corn Bread to be a bit dry, but the ribs were tender and saucy. We had the Mild Buffalo Wings, which was a bit unexciting for me.

It was a LOT of food for three girls to gobble down, so we ended up taking away half of the Buffalo Wings. Eating at Carolina Kitchen was an enjoyable experience, and to feed three people for under $50, it was a cheap night out.




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